Transfer of care of people experiencing mental health crisis: from police to healthcare
Project reference: RAS-25-317
Approval date: 14 May 2026
Lead organisation | Principal Investigator |
|---|---|
Glasgow Caledonian University | Martha Canfield |
Plain English summary
People experiencing mental health crises are best supported by mental health services, but in many cases the first point of contact is the police. Police Scotland plays a key role in responding to these situations, recording around 157 mental health-related incidents each day. Officers respond to emergency calls, ensure individuals’ safety, and often transport peoplethey believe need urgent mental health support to Emergency Departments (EDs).
When someone in crisis is taken to an ED by the police, responsibility shifts from police to healthcare staff. This “transfer of care” can be challenging. It may be affected by unclear or inconsistent procedures, communication difficulties, different professional roles, and tensions between legal responsibilities (protecting the public) and clinical priorities (providing care).
Despite its importance, there is little research evidence on how transfer of care is defined, implemented, or experienced in Scotland. We also lack reliable data on how often this occurs, who is affected, and what their experiences are.
To address these gaps, we propose a scoping study to assess the possibility of using Public Health Scotland data to identify and examine police-led transfers to healthcare for people inmental health crisis. Subject to data quality, we will seek external funding for a larger, multi-method research programme to generate detailed evidence to inform policy, practice, and service redesign.
Statement of public good
The project overarching aim is to improve understanding of police-to-healthcare transfer of care for individuals experiencing mental health crisis, an area of high public and policy relevance. Before progressing to a larger project, it is essential to determine whether Public Health Scotland data alone can address key epidemiological questions. By focusing, at this stage, on what is possible with the current data, the project will clarify what questions can be answered using existing data and where data gaps remain.
This study builds on strong partnerships with the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR), Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, the Scottish Government (i.e., Suicide Prevention team), ED clinical leads, and the Acute Responses to emergency Mental Health and Substance use (ARMHS) Research Network. Two people with lived experience are also involved within this partnership. Post-analysis interpretation and contextualisation of findings will be supported through ongoing engagement with this wider stakeholder network.
The findings can directly inform practical improvements in care pathways by identifying variation in practice and gaps in information sharing during transfer of care. This evidence will support the development of clearer resources, targeted training, and more consistent inter-agency processes, with potential to inform local and national policy.
While the analysis is based on Scottish data, the methodological approach and key insights will be transferable across the four UK nations. The study will generate a scalable framework for analysing police-to-healthcare transfers using routine data, which can be adapted to different data systems and policy contexts. This will support wider application and future comparative research across the UK.
Overall, this work provides a necessary foundation for future externally funded research, ensuring that future studies are methodologically adequate and aligned with public interest. The project will also support more efficient use of public resources by avoiding premature linked across existing datasets, while laying the groundwork for research that can inform safer, more coordinated care and improved inter-agency working.
Datasets used